Photo courtesy of Lynn Sleiman ’24
As a club team, Mount Holyoke College Rugby is governed by the New England Wide Collegiate Rugby Conference.
By Emily Tarinelli ’25
Sports Editor
As one of six club sports at Mount Holyoke College, Mount Holyoke Rugby has received less support from the institution in comparison to varsity sports, in terms of access to athletic facilities, athletic trainers and medical treatment, according to representatives from the team. This year, the support became more restricted after the removal of concussion baseline testing for club sports, which is used to assess for concussions in the event that symptoms are present. While the Office of Student Involvement confirmed in an email to the Mount Holyoke News that concussion baseline testing will be reinstituted in the fall of 2023, the rugby team has spent the past year navigating this change along with other ongoing challenges, including the need to take extra steps to keep rugby a gender-inclusive sport.
Concussion Baseline Testing Removal
Unlike varsity teams, club sports do not have access to athletic trainers in case of injury. However, just like varsity athletes, club sport athletes were afforded concussion baseline testing — until this year.
“They took that away from us. We’re a full contact sport, and there’s a lot of risk of concussion,” forwards captain Skye Gorman ’24 said. “It wasn’t just a rugby thing. Club sports as a whole were very upset that they got rid of concussion baseline testing. They also no longer require us or even let us require medical clearance.”
According to Gorman, the reason for this year’s removal of concussion baseline testing that was provided to the rugby team was that “they didn’t use it” and that “club sports were never supposed to have it in the first place.” Varsity athletes always begin their seasons with concussion baseline testing.
For the rugby team, the fall was especially fraught with concussions, given an unusually quick start to play. “We usually get at least a few concussions every season, and this time we saw more than a few,” Gorman said. “We were already pushing for things, but that was definitely [something that had us saying], ‘No, this is really serious.’”
Members of the rugby team met with the Office of Student Involvement in Fall 2022, where the news broke that they would no longer be provided concussion baseline testing. Unlike varsity teams, club sports are not governed by the Department of Physical Education and Athletics and instead, fall under the wing of OSI. This, forwards captain Bella Besag ’25 described, creates problems in and of itself.
“[It’s] difficult for us because when we have sport-specific issues, they’re not the best equipped to handle them,” Besag said. “If you work in Athletics, you understand athletic problems just inherently.”
To make up for the removal of concussion baseline testing and lack of medical support provided by the College, OSI implemented a guideline that requires two players to serve as safety officers for their team. Backs captain Shanen Arellano ’24, one of the team’s safety officers, attended a four-hour training session to become certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid. As a safety officer, they are also tasked with creating and leading back-to-play procedures should a concussion occur.
“I sat in the fire station and watched videos of how to do CPR and how to wrap an open wound, but I really don’t think that’s the equivalent of having an AT who can treat sport-related injuries,” Arellano said. “And even in the training, they didn’t tell us how to treat or how to recognize a concussion. They kind of just said, ‘If you’re concussed, then go to the hospital.’ [Except] a lot of people don’t know if they’re concussed.” Arellano stated that she possesses some knowledge of concussion symptoms and care, but that this knowledge was solely based on personal experiences with concussions, not something they learned from the College, the College’s resources or the first aid training.
“[It’s] as if a bunch of kids who get a four-hour training [are supposed to be able to] do the same thing as a medical professional,” Arellano said.
In an email to the Mount Holyoke News, the Office of Student Involvement provided a statement that confirmed the return of concussion baseline testing next year and reaffirmed the College’s commitment to keeping students safe.
“Student safety is one of the College’s highest priorities,” the statement read. “The College does have trained medical professionals to oversee club matches — we hire EMTs for each match. Referees know that if there is no EMT present at a match, the match will not be held. We ask that each club team designate a safety officer who will be at practices. This safety officer position is meant to serve in consultation with a coach and can allow students to practice, within limits, if a coach could not be present. Additionally, concussion baseline testing for those who participate in club sports will be re-instituted in the fall of 2023.”
Limited Athletics Support
Because club sports are not supported by the athletics department, they are not given priority when it comes to using athletic spaces, such as the varsity weight room or the fieldhouse. Club sports can only use the varsity weight room, nicknamed the “Lyons’ Den,” after 8 p.m. during the week or on weekends. If it is raining and rugby needs to practice inside the fieldhouse instead of outside on the rugby pitch, varsity sports get seniority and rugby will often have to push their practice schedule later than usual, to 8:45 p.m. through 10:00 p.m..
Additionally, because club sports do not have access to varsity athletic trainers, general medical support is also limited. In a meeting with the athletics department in February, club sports captains and coaches were told that they did not need the athletic trainers because they could access College Health Services instead. However, the health center closes before the start of rugby practice, and not all athletes can afford the Mount Holyoke student health insurance, meaning the emergency room is not necessarily open to them.
“I don’t really feel like I’m seen as a student-athlete,” Besag said.
Ensuring Trans Inclusion
Current legislation from the New England Wide Collegiate Rugby Conference, the rugby team’s governing body, requires the team to take extra steps when it comes to making sure transgender athletes — especially individuals who are taking testosterone — have a space on the team.
“We have people on our team who take [testosterone] for gender-affirming reasons,” Besag said. “But when we contacted our governing body about it, they were like, ‘Hey, just so you know, we go by the professional, Olympic-level rugby policy that says if you’re on T, you cannot play on the women’s team.’” This means that athletes on testosterone could only play on a men’s team, which is not a possibility at Mount Holyoke.
Team members raised this point with the NEWCRC, who told them that they would contact USA Rugby, the national governing body for the sport, and get back to them about the issue. They never responded, so team members offered an alternative solution. They suggested that before each match, they contact the opposing team to ask if they would still be willing to play against Mount Holyoke with a few team members on testosterone.
“So far, we’ve never had anyone not be okay with it. Everyone’s been very, very accepting of it, but it’s still an extra barrier that we have to take,” Besag said.
As a club sport, rugby has more freedom than a varsity team when it comes to gender inclusivity. According to the Lyons Athletics website, varsity teams at Mount Holyoke are labeled as women’s teams regardless of the student-athlete’s gender identity, and as it relates to medically prescribed testosterone, a student-athlete taking testosterone is not permitted to participate on a varsity women’s team. Because they are not varsity sports, club sports do not need to follow these eligibility requirements, however, they must adhere to the requirements set forth by their individual governing bodies.
“It’s frustrating to see that these governing bodies are doing this. When we talk to every single team, every team is like, ‘Rugby is an inclusive sport. It’s always been an inclusive sport. We want everyone to be a part of this sport,’” Gorman said. “So it’s just like, why do we have to jump through these hoops if everyone’s on the same page?”
The Future
In addition to the reinstitution of concussion baseline testing for the fall of 2023, there was one other positive outcome from club athletes’ advocacy this year.
Mount Holyoke requires most students to complete four physical education units as part of its distribution requirements in order to graduate. In the past, these credits could only be fulfilled in two ways: through taking P.E. classes or competing for at least two seasons on a varsity team. Thanks to the advocacy of club sports, club sport athletes will be eligible to earn P.E. credits from their club sport involvement beginning in Fall 2023.
Even so, rugby will likely continue to navigate many of these challenges in the coming years. When asked if they thought rugby would have received more support for these issues if they were a varsity team, especially the medical ones, Besag did not hesitate in her answer.
“Without a doubt,” they said. “Without a doubt.”